Using Ad Text to Find the Right Clicks

The easiest way to evaluate an ad quality is through click-through rate. After all, it is a simple metric, and it would seem to measure what we’re seeking to accomplish through awareness.

But a successful campaign is made or broken not by how many eyes get to your site, but by how many of them become leads, customers, or registered users. To that end, here are a few ways that you can ensure that you bring the best potential customers.

Use ads not just as a way to bring users to your site, but as a filter.
From the consumer side, shoppers can (very) generally be separated into price shoppers or value shoppers. If your product line is a price leader, make this clear.

If you’re not the price leader, of course, it is a bit more difficult. (After all, you never want ads to focus on how expensive your product line is.) To drive away window shoppers looking only for the best deal, use words that drive them away. Consider terms like premium, exclusive, or high-quality. These can be used in ad text or within the headline.

From a B2B standpoint, make sure that your ads effectively indicate what type of customer your product benefits. If your software solution or service doesn’t offer the capability to help Fortune 500 corporations, use terms like startup or small business.

Be as specific as space allows.
How many ads have you seen promising “Hundreds of [product] of all shapes and sizes!”? Too many, I’m sure. I call ads like this “Screamers,” and I would imagine that these offer the wrong mix of clickthrough (too high) and conversion rates (too low).

But by using specific, multi-word keyword phrases, and by then effectively expanding upon the product or service offered in your two lines of ad text, you give users a clear picture of what they will see at your landing page.

Consider using model numbers.
As keywords and within ad text, a specific model number can offer great conversion rates. After all, specificity is often the name of the game in pay-per-click, and model numbers are just about the most specific that you can get.

Industry language is good.
As I’ve already stated, your goal is not to bring in the maximum possible eyeballs, but the maximum possible high-value customers. To that end, using your most likely customers are the ones that already know about your product or service. These customers have jumped past the learning phase, and are entering the consideration phrase. There is no education involved at this point, as customers understand what they are looking for, and are now choosing from a variety of alternatives.

(For illustrative purposes, does a search marketing agency benefit more from users searching on “Internet Advertising campaign” or “ppc management”? The latter, of course, because that user understands what he or she wants.)

This is of particular importance in a B2B context or with a product that is infrequently purchased and where, therefore, there is a longer learning curve. Running shoes are running shoes, but not all CRM software solutions are created equally.

No matter the price, price can be your friend.
As stated above, you might not be the price leader. But if you use your price – an accurate price – in the ad text, and you follow through on that promise, you will see conversions follow.

One thing that comes across here is the importance of a well-targeted keyword list and a well-structured campaign. Specific keywords and an easy-to-manipulate structure are the backbone of any successful pay-per-click campaign, as these things allow for a more dynamic approach to campaign management.

Get granular with your keywords, write appropriate text for those keywords, and enjoy the increase in conversions.